1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transendoscopic medical instrument which is used when transendoscopically performing a diagnosis or a therapy.
2. Description of the Related Art
When transendoscopically diagnosing or treating a peripheral bronchial part where complicated branches are deeply formed, a treatment instrument such as a biopsy forceps must be transendoscopically inserted into the peripheral bronchial tube. An approach to the peripheral bronchial tube has been carried out by repeating an insertion operation of a treatment instrument such as a forceps while confirming a current position to which the treatment instrument is inserted using x-rays.
In recent years, patients with peripheral lung cancer have been increased in number, and transendoscopic diagnosis or therapy/treatment is becoming a growing trend. In this case, it is desired to accurately and rapidly approach a transendoscopic forceps or the like intended for a diagnosis, a therapy or the like on the peripheral bronchial tube.
When diagnosing this type of disease, tissue cells are obtained from a peripheral diseased part. Further, in therapies, cases of performing a stereotactic radiosurgery have been recently increased.
Meanwhile, in order to allow a tool for a diagnosis or a therapy of a diseased part of the peripheral bronchial tube to transendoscopically reach a diseased part of the peripheral bronchial tube, a transendoscopic medical instrument is required which is suitable for selecting a bronchial branch and leading the item to the diseased part of the peripheral bronchial tube.
As known from the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,338, although there is a flexible intubation instrument having an articulated distal end, this intubation instrument is an auxiliary instrument when inserting a tube into a bronchus, and it has a certain degree of rigidity.
On the other hand, an instrument described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,055 is a marking apparatus which embeds a marker element in a tissue, and this is of a type which pushes an end of an insertion portion of a catheter through a tissue and embeds a marker element.
An intubation instrument described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,338 has a flexible articulated distal end.
Furthermore, a marking apparatus described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,055 pushes an end of an insertion portion of a catheter through a tissue and embeds a marker element in this tissue.